Monday, September 30, 2024

The Belgian University denounces Pope Francis' remarks on the role of women in the church

Belgian Catholic university denounces visiting pope's views on women after he digs in on their role

Pope Francis’ burdensome trip through Belgium has reached new lows.

ByNICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press and RAF CASERT Associated Press

BRUSSELS -- Pope Francis’ burdensome trip through Belgium reached new lows on Saturday when defiant Catholic university women demanded to his face a “paradigm change” on women’s issues in the church and then expressed deep disappointment when Francis dug in.

The Catholic University of Louvain, the Francophone campus of Belgium’s storied Catholic university, issued a scathing statement after Francis visited and repeated his view that women are the “fertile” nurturers of the church, inducing grimaces in his audience.

“UCLouvain expresses its incomprehension and disapproval of the position expressed by Pope Francis regarding the role of women in the church and society,” the statement said, calling the pope’s views “deterministic and reductive.”

Francis' trip to Belgium, ostensibly to celebrate the university’s 600th anniversary, was always going to be difficult, given Belgium’s wretched legacy of clerical sexual abuse and secular trends which have emptied churches in the once staunchly Catholic country.

Francis got an earful on Friday about the abuse crisis starting with King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander Croos and continuing on down to the victims themselves.

But it’s one thing for the pope to be lambasted by the liberal prime minister for the church’s mishandling of priests who raped children. It’s quite another to be openly criticized by the Catholic university that invited him and long was the Vatican's intellectual fiefdom in Belgium.

The students made an impassioned plea to Francis for the church to change its view of women. It is an issue Francis knows well: He has made some changes during his 11-year pontificate, allowing women to serve as acolytes, appointing several women to high-ranking positions in the Vatican, and saying women must have greater decision-making roles in the church.

But he has ruled out ordaining women as priests and has refused so far to budge on demands to allow women to serve as deacons, who perform many of the same tasks as priests. He has taken the women’s issue off the table for debate at the Vatican’s upcoming three-week synod, or meeting, because it’s too thorny to be dealt with in such a short time. He has punted it to theologians and canonists to chew over into next year.

In a letter read aloud on stage with the pope listening attentively, the students noted that Francis’ landmark 2015 environmental encyclical Laudato Si (Praised Be) made virtually no mention of women, cited no woman theologians and “exalts their maternal role and forbids them access to ordained ministries.”

“Women have been made invisible. Invisible in their lives, women have also been invisible in their intellectual contributions,” the students said.

“What, then, is the place of women in the church?” they asked. “We need a paradigm shift, which can and must draw on the treasures of spirituality as much as on the development of the various disciplines of science.”

Francis said he liked what they said, but repeated his frequent refrain that “the church is woman,” only exists because the Virgin Mary agreed to be the mother of Jesus and that men and women were complementary.

“Woman is fertile welcome. Care. Vital devotion,” Francis said. “Let us be more attentive to the many daily expressions of this love, from friendship to the workplace, from studies to the exercise of responsibility in the church and society, from marriage to motherhood, from virginity to the service of others and the building up of the kingdom of God.”

Louvain said such terminology had no place in a university or society today. It emphasized the point with the entertainment for the event featuring a jazz rendition of Lady Gaga's LGBTQ+ anthem “Born This Way.”

“UC Louvain can only express its disagreement with this deterministic and reductive position,” the statement said. “It reaffirms its desire for everyone to flourish within it and in society, whatever their origins, gender or sexual orientation. It calls on the church to follow the same path, without any form of discrimination.”

The comment followed a speech on Friday by the rector of the Dutch campus of the university in which he ventured that the church would be a much more welcoming place if women could be priests.

The university’s back-to-back criticism was especially significant since Francis was long held up in Europe as a beacon of progressive hope following the conservative papacies of St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

And yet Francis toed the conservative line earlier in the day too.

He went to the royal crypt in the Church of Our Lady to pray at the tomb of King Baudouin, best known for having refused to give royal assent, one of his constitutional duties, to a parliament-approved bill legalizing abortion.

Baudouin stepped down for one day in 1990 to allow the government to pass the law, which he would otherwise have been required to sign, before he was reinstated as king.

Francis praised Baudouin's courage when he decided to “leave his position as king to not sign a homicidal law,” according to the Vatican summary of the private encounter, which was attended by Baudouin's nephew, King Philippe, and Queen Mathilde.

The pope then referred to a new legislative proposal to extend the legal limit for an abortion in Belgium, from 12 weeks to 18 weeks after conception. The bill failed at the last minute because parties in government negotiations considered the timing inopportune.

Francis urged Belgians to look to Baudouin’s example in preventing such a law, and added that he hoped the former king's beatification cause would move ahead, the Vatican said.

Valentine Hendrix, a 22-year-old international relations masters student at Louvain, told reporters that students had hoped that Francis might respond positively to their appeal, but that his comments on abortion and women's role meant that he had “given up on a committed dialogue.”

“We had expectations, even if we saw that he disappointed us in just a few hours," she said. "His position on abortion — by saying that the abortion law was a murderous law — it is extremely shocking to see even if we did not expect great moves toward modernity.”

Francis started the day by having breakfast — coffee and croissants — with a group of 10 homeless people and migrants who are looked after by the St. Gilles parish of Brussels.

The breakfast encounter was presided over by Marie-Françoise Boveroulle, an adjunct episcopal vicar for the diocese. The position is usually filled by a priest, but Boveroulle’s appointment has been highlighted as evidence of the roles that women can and should play in the church.

—

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Vatican announces Pope's special prayer intention for October

POPE

Pope's October prayer intention: 'For a shared mission'

Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for the month of October "for a shared mission," and calls on all faithful in whatever vocation they may have to do their best to contribute to a sense of co-responsibility in the Church.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis' monthly prayer intention for October is for "a shared mission."

The Pope invited the Church to pray for this intention in this month's The Pope Video, which is entrusted to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network.

All contributing in their little way regardless of vocation

Pope Francis’ videomessage emphasizes his invitation to each and every Christian “to walk together, taking the path of synodality,” explaining that “we are co-responsible in mission, we participate and we live in the communion of the Church.”

The images in the video were produced by the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York with the help of DeSales Media, with the collaboration of the General Secretary of the Synod itself, and the support of Fondazione Pro Rete Mondiale di Preghiera del Papa.

Regardless of one's career or work in life, Pope Francis underlines that the mission is the same, namely that of "witnessing with one’s own life,” “everyone contributing what they know how to do best.”

The Holy Father suggests that, in this way, "we work together in this co-responsibility."

Co-responsibility to care for the Church, our 'home'

In the video, Pope Francis clarifies that priests "are not the bosses of the laity, but their pastors," and stresses how Jesus calls upon us all to complement one another.

With this spirit, the Holy Father calls on all baptized people in the Church at all levels to remember how the Church is their home, and therefore, reminding them of their responsibility to take care of it.

Pope Francis concludes by praying, "Let us pray that the Church continue to sustain a synodal lifestyle in every way, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, communion and mission shared by priests, religious and laity."

Recalling the words and apology concerning clerical abuse delivered by the Pope in Belgium

Pope Francis presides at Mass in Belgium on Sunday

VATICAN

Abuse and shame: Recalling Pope Francis' words in Belgium

Our Editorial Director, Andrea Tornielli, reflects on Pope Francis' condemnation of clerical sexual abuse during his just-ended Apostolic Journey to Belgium.

By Andrea Tornielli

During his Apostolic Journeys, Pope Francis allows himself to be challenged and wounded by the reality he encounters; not everything can be prepared in advance. This was also the case during his visit to Luxembourg and Belgium, which concluded on Sunday, September 29.

Speaking with the Belgian king and prime minister, who, in different tones, raised the drama of abuses against minors that has weighed heavily, and continues to weigh, like a burden on the life of the country’s Church and its hierarchies, the Bishop of Rome clearly stated that even a single case of a child abused by a cleric is one too many.

Looking up from his prepared text, the Pope cited the “holy innocents,” the victims of King Herod, to illustrate that this still happens today. It was not the first time the Pope made this comparison. In February 2019, concluding the summit on abuse he convened in the Vatican, he cited Herod and his massacre of infants, adding off-the-cuff that behind the abuse of minors “there is Satan.”

In his homily at Mass celebrated at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Pope Francis wanted to add a few clear and strong paragraphs. He did so after being deeply moved by the meeting with several abuse victims that took place two days earlier, a dramatic and moving conversation lasting more than two hours at the Apostolic Nunciature in Brussels.

The Pope returned “with his mind and heart” to their stories and their sufferings to reiterate that there is no place for abuse or the covering up of abuse within the Church. He stated that evil “should not be hidden” but must be bravely brought to light, bringing the abuser to justice, whoever they may be—“layperson, priest, or bishop.”

There is another important aspect to focus on in Pope Francis's words. Both at the Belgian royal palace and in his conversation with journalists during the return flight, the Pope cited statistics showing that the majority of abuses occur within families, at schools, and in the world of sports.

This was not the first time he did so. But this time, with unprecedented clarity, he aimed to eliminate any alibi for the misuse of those numbers by those who would seek to defend themselves by highlighting others' responsibilities and minimizing the issue.

It is true that the Church has undertaken, in the last quarter century, a path that has led to very strict emergency laws against abuse. It is true that others have not taken the same steps.

However, it is equally true that abuse within the Church is something horrible, which always begins with an abuse of power and manipulation of the conscience of those who are defenseless. Families who had entrusted their children to the Church to be educated in the faith, believing them to be safe, have seen them return mortally wounded in body and soul.

For this reason, there can be no instrumental use of statistics, almost as if trying to minimize something that cannot and must not be minimized in any way, but must be fought against and eradicated with all possible determination. Abuse is a crime that “kills the soul,” as Archbishop Charles Scicluna once said.

The Successor of Peter, following in the footsteps of his two predecessors, has thus promulgated very strict new laws to stop abuse, and has stated that even a single case of abuse against minors within the Church would be one too many.

He indicated to the entire Church that the most appropriate attitude is one of shame, humiliation, and the request for forgiveness. It is the same penitential attitude that Pope Benedict XVI proposed—though he was misunderstood—when he affirmed that the greatest enemy for the Church is not external but the sin within it.

Humiliation and the request for forgiveness are deeply Christian attitudes. They remind us that the ecclesial community is made up of forgiven sinners and that the abuses that occur within it are a wound that concerns us all.

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Last Saint of the Day for Monday

St. Jerome

Feastday: September 30
Patron: of archaeologists, Biblical scholars, librarians, students and translators
Birth: 342
Death: 420

Before he was known as Saint Jerome, he was named Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus. He was born around 342 AD, in Stridon, Dalmatia. Today, the town, which ceased to exist in Jerome's time, would likely be in Croatia or Slovenia.

The young Jerome was educated by Aelius Donatus, who was a famous Roman grammarian. From him, the young Jerome learned Latin and Greek. Little else is known of his childhood other than his parents were probably well-to-do and Christian. Despite their efforts to raise Jerome properly, the young man behaved as he chose.

Around the age of 12 or so, Jerome traveled to Rome to study grammar, philosophy and rhetoric. It is likely that due to his training in rhetoric, he may have considered a career in law. By his own admission, he quickly forgot his morals. While he was not studying, Jerome pursued pleasure. In particular, he pursued women, even though he knew his behavior was wrong.

To alleviate the feelings of guilt he often felt afterwards, Jerome would visit the crypts in Rome and imagine himself in hell. He did so every Sunday, even though he was not a Christian. Jerome succeeded in frightening himself, but not in changing his ways.

Fortunately, Jerome had as a companion, Bonosus, who was a Christian influence. His influence is part of what persuaded Jerome to become a Christian and change his ways for the better.

In or around the year 366, Jerome decided to become a Christian and was baptized by Pope Liberius.

Now interested in theological matters, Jerome set aside secular matters to pursue matters of the faith. He traveled with Bonosus to Trier where there were schools for him to gain ecclesiastical training.

In 370, he traveled close to home, ending up in a monastery at Aquileia. The monastery was overseen by Bishop St. Valerian, who had attracted some of the greatest minds in Christendom. While in Aquileia, Jerome met Rufinus and the two men became friends. Rufinis was a monk who became renown for his translations of Greek works into Latin. Jerome himself was developing his skills as a translator, a skill he developed during his time in the Roman catacombs, translating the inscriptions on the tombs.

Following his time in Aquileia, Jerome traveled next to Treves, Gaul where he began to translate books for his own use. His goal was to build a personal library.

After a time in Gaul, he returned to Aquileia in 373. While there, Jerome and his friend Bonosus had a falling out and decided to part ways. Bonosus departed for an island in the Adriatic where he would live as a hermit for a time.

Jerome traveled to the east, bound for Antioch by way of Athens.

In 374, Jerome finally reached Antioch, after making several lengthy stops along the way. While in that city, Jerome began writing his first work, "Concerning the Seven Beatings."

During that same year, disease made Jerome ill while taking the lives of some of his companions. It is unclear what disease was responsible, or if different illnesses had taken his friends. During his illness, Jerome had visions which made him even more religious.

Jerome went into the desert to live for four years, living as a hermit southwest of Antioch. He was frequently ill during this time.

After he emerged from his hermitage, Jerome was quickly embroiled in conflicts within the Church at Antioch. This was not something Jerome wanted to be associated with. Jerome made clear that he did not want to become a priest, preferring instead to be a monk or a hermit. But Church officials in Antioch as well as Pope Damasus wanted him to be ordained. Jerome relented on the condition he would not be expected to serve in any ministry and would still be allowed to pursue his monastic life. He was subsequently ordained.

Making the most of his freedom as a priest, Jerome traveled to Constantinople where he studied under St. Gregory of Nazianzus, who was renown as a great theologian.

After St. Gregory left Constantinople in 382, Jerome traveled to Rome for a council of the Church and met Pope Damasus. Following the council, Pope Damsus kept Jerome in Rome and made him his secretary.

While serving as secretary to the pope, Jerome also promoted the ideal of asceticism to everyone around him. Included in this group were women of the city of Rome who wanted to live saintly lives.

Pope Damasus died in 384, and this exposed Jerome to criticism and controversy. Jerome was a sarcastic man of great wit. He became unpopular because of his attitude and made a number of enemies. While Pope Damasus was alive, he could shield Jerome from criticism, but now Jerome faced the vengeance of the enemies he made. Both prominent pagans who resented his promotion of the faith and fellow Christians who lacked his wit attacked him with vicious rumors. Among the rumors were accusations that he was behaving inappropriately with the woman we now know as Paula. At that time, she was one of his students in asceticism.

Paula was a widow with four children who deeply mourned the loss of her husband. Jerome provided counseling and instruction to her and she became a lifelong friend and follower of Jerome, assisting him in his work.

Eventually, Jerome decided to return to the Holy Land to escape the calumny in Rome. He headed east and arrived in Antioch in 386. Shortly after, Jerome was met by Paula, her daughter, and several other followers. The group went first to Jerusalem, then on to Alexandria, Egypt. They settled in Bethlehem and had a monastery built there which included dormitories for women.

Jerome was a hard worker and he wrote extensively defending the virginity of Mary, which some clerics dared to question. He also engaged in several debates against various other heresies including a lengthy battle with his old friend Rufinus. Jerome was easily upset, and even the venerable St. Augustine exchanged words with him. Eventually, Jerome and Augustine repaired their relationship and were able to correspond as friends and colleagues.

Of all the things that made Jerome famous, nothing was so legendary as his translation of the Bible. Jerome began work while he was still in Rome under Pope Damasus. He spent his entire life translating the scriptures from Hebrew and Old Latin.

In the year 404 Paula died, later to become a saint of the Church. Rome was sacked by Alarc the Barbarian in 410. These events distressed Jerome greatly. Violence eventually found its way to Bethlehem disrupting Jerome's work in his final years.

Jerome died on September 30, 420. His death was peaceful and he was laid to rest under the Church of the Nativity. His remains were later transferred to Rome.

Saint Jerome is the patron saint of archaeologists, Biblical scholars, librarians, students and translators.

His feast day is September 30.

Papal in-fliht interview on way to Rome

POPE

Pope on bombardment of Lebanon: Every disproportionate defense is immoral

On the return flight from Brussels, Pope Francis speaks to reporters about the attack that killed Hassan Nasrallah and many others, and reiterates his condemnation of abortion, praising the Christian witness of King Baudouin, who temporarily resigned rather than sign abortion into law.

By Vatican News

Pope Francis spoke on Sunday with journalists covering his Apostolic Journey to Luxembourg and Belgium during his customary in-flight press conference.

Here follows a working English transcription and translation of the press conference:

Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office: Good evening, everyone. Thank you, Holy Father, for the time you dedicate to us at the end of this brief but very intense journey. Perhaps you would like to say a word before we begin with the journalists' questions.

Pope Francis: Good morning. I am available for questions.

Michael Merten (Luxemburger Wort)

Holy Father, Luxembourg was the first country, and many people remember your visit to the coffee shop. I would like to ask you about your impressions of Luxembourg and if there is anything that surprised you.

[Pope Francis:] Thank you, my visit to the coffee shop was just a silly thing. Next time I’ll visit a pizzeria. Luxembourg really impressed me as a well-balanced society, with well-considered laws, as well as a different culture. This impressed me a lot, because I was unfamiliar with it.

Belgium, on the other hand, I knew better, because I have been there many times. But Luxembourg was a surprise because of its balance and hospitality; it's something that surprised me. I believe that perhaps the message Luxembourg can offer Europe is precisely this.

Valerie Dupont (Belgian French-Language State TV)

Holy Father, thank you for your availability. Please excuse my voice, but the rain has hit me a bit. Your words at the tomb of King Baldwin have caused some astonishment in Belgium...

But you know that astonishment is the beginning of philosophy, and that's okay.

Valerie Dupont

Perhaps. Some have also seen it as political interference in Belgium's democratic life. The beatification process of the king is linked to his positions. And how can we reconcile the right to life and the defense of life with women's right to have a life without suffering?

It's about all lives, you know. The king was courageous because, faced with a law of death, he did not sign it and resigned. That takes courage, doesn't it? It takes a "real" politician to do this. It takes courage. Even he gave a message with this, and he did it because he was a saint. He is holy and the beatification process will continue, because he gave me proof of this.

Women. Women have the right to life: their own life and the lives of their children. Let's not forget to say this: abortion is murder. Science tells you that within a month of conception, all the organs are already there. A human being is killed. And doctors who engage in this are—allow me the word—hitmen. They are hitmen. This cannot be disputed. A human life is killed. And women have the right to protect life.

A separate matter is contraceptive methods; that's another matter. Don't confuse them. I am speaking now only about abortion. And this cannot be disputed. Forgive me, but it's the truth.

Andrea Vreede (Flemish and Dutch Belgian TV)

Holy Father, during this visit to Belgium too, you had a long meeting with a group of victims of sexual abuse. Often in their accounts, there are cries of despair about the lack of transparency in procedures, closed doors, silence towards them, the slowness of disciplinary actions, the cover-ups you spoke about today, and the issues with compensation for the damages suffered. In the end, things seem to change only when they manage to speak with you, in person. In Brussels, the victims also made a series of requests. How do you intend to proceed with these requests? And wouldn't it be better, perhaps, to create a dedicated department in the Vatican, perhaps an independent entity, as some bishops are requesting, to better address this scourge in the Church and to regain the trust of the faithful?

Thank you. On the last point... There is a department in the Vatican, yes. There is a structure; currently, the president is a Colombian bishop for abuse cases. There is a Commission, and it was created by Cardinal O’Malley. It works! All matters are received in the Vatican and discussed. Even in the Vatican I have received people who have been abused, and I offer strength to move forward. This is the first point.

Secondly, I have listened to people who have been abused. I believe it is a duty. Some say: the statistics show that 40-42-46% of the abused are in the family and local neighborhood; only 3% in the Church. I don’t care about that; I take those of the Church!

We bear the responsibility for helping people who have been abused and taking care of them. Some need psychological treatment; we must help them with this. There is also talk of compensation because it's in civil law. In civil law, I believe it's 50,000 euros in Belgium; that's too low. It’s not something that is needed. I believe the amount is that, but I’m not sure.

But we must take care of people who have been abused and punish the abusers, because abuse is not a sin of today that perhaps tomorrow will not exist. It’s a trend; it's a psychiatric illness, and for this reason, we must offer them treatment and monitor them.

You cannot leave an abuser free to live a normal life, with responsibilities in parishes and schools. Some bishops gave jobs to priests who have done this, after the trial and conviction, for example, in the library, but without contact with children in schools and parishes.

But we must move forward with this. I told the Belgian bishops not to be afraid and to strive ahead, go forward. The shame is to cover up; this is indeed shame.

Courtney Walsh (USA TV)

Thank you very much for your time. We read this morning that 900 kg bombs were used for the targeted assassination of Nasrallah. There are more than a thousand displaced, many dead. Do you think that Israel has perhaps gone too far with Lebanon and Gaza? And how can this be resolved? Is there a message for these people there?

Every day I call the parish of Gaza. More than 600 people are there, inside the parish and the college, and they tell me about the things that are happening, including the cruelties that are occurring there. What you are telling me—I didn’t quite understand how things have been (evolving, ed.)—but defense must always be proportionate to the attack.

When there is something disproportionate, a domineering tendency that goes beyond morality is evident. A country that, with its forces, does these things—I'm talking about any country—that does these things in such a “superlative” way, these are immoral actions.

Even in war, there is morality to be safe-guarded. War is immoral, but the rules of war indicate some morality. But when this is not respected, you can see—as we say in Argentina—the “bad blood” of these things.

Annachiara Valle (Famiglia Cristiana)

Thank you, Holy Father. Yesterday, after the meeting at the Catholic University of Louvain, a statement was released where, I read, “The University deplores the conservative positions expressed by Pope Francis on the role of women in society.” They say that it's a bit restrictive to talk about women only in terms of motherhood, fertility, and care, and that indeed this is somewhat discriminatory, because it is a role that also belongs to men. And related to this, both universities have raised the issue of ordained ministries in the Church.

First of all, this statement was released at the moment when I was speaking. It was pre-written, and this is not moral.

Regarding women, I always speak of the dignity of women, and in this context I said something that I cannot say about men: the Church is woman; she is the bride of Jesus. Masculinizing the Church, masculinizing women is not humane; it is not Christian. The feminine has its own strength. In fact, women—I always say—are more important than men because the Church is female; the Church is the bride of Jesus. If this seems conservative to those ladies, then I am Carlo Gardell (a well-known Argentinian tango singer, ed.). It's not understandable… I see that there is an obtuse mind that does not want to hear about this.

Woman is equal to man. In fact, in the life of the Church, woman is superior because the Church is feminine. Regarding ministry, the mysticism of woman is greater than ministry. There is a great theologian who studied this, asking which is greater: the Petrine ministry or the Marian ministry. The Marian ministry is greater, because it is a ministry of unity that involves others; the other is a ministry of management.

The maternal nature of the Church is the maternal nature of a woman. Ministry is a much lesser ministry, meant to accompany the faithful, always within a maternal nature. Various theologians have studied this, and say this is a real thing; I don't say modern, but real; it is not outdated.

An exaggerated feminism, which means that women are chauvinists, does not work. One thing is a masculinism that is not okay; another is a feminism that is not okay. What works is the feminine Church being greater than the priestly ministry. And this is not often considered.

But thank you for the question. And thank you all for this journey and for the work you have done. I'm sorry that time is tight here. But thank you, thank you very much. I pray for you; you pray for me. Pray on my behalf!

(The Pope is reminded of the tragedy of fifty people missing at sea off the coast of the Canary Islands.)

It greatly pains me to hear of all those people missing off the Canaries. Today, so many migrants seeking freedom are lost at sea or near the sea. We can think of Crotone, right? 100 meters... from your land (speaking to one reporter, ed.). Let's think of that. This is something to cry about, to weep for.

abitadeacon